Vegetation Management, Risk Reduction and Reforestation

Finance Department
General Services Division
Proposal For Services
Due: 8/27/2026 - 05:00 p.m.
The City of Berkeley Fire Department seeks competitive written proposals for Vegetation
Management, Risk Reduction and Reforestation.
The work to be done includes:
Scope of Services
The Contractor shall perform only City-authorized vegetation management, fuel reduction,
hazardous-tree removal, debris processing, erosion control, and revegetation within mapped
work areas in the Berkeley Hills High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones all on private
property, adjacent to private dwellings. The work shall consist of the removal of 26 trees of
varying diameter in the drainage bordered by the terminus of Buena Vista Way to the West
(generally above 3090 Buena Vista), W. Parnassus Ct to the East, and the Lawrence Berkeley
National Lab to the south. All work shall comply with Exhibit A and applicable laws. If Exhibit
A relies on Public Resources Code section 21080.49(c), work shall be limited to defensible-
space establishment or enhancement within 200 feet of a legal structure unless the City issues
separate written environmental authorization. Each site shall be authorized by a written Task
Order identifying the location, treatment limits, quantities, tree-removal authorization, and
environmental requirements. No work outside those limits or additional work is compensable
without prior written City approval. The Contractor shall promptly report differing site
conditions and protect the site pending written direction.
Contractor Responsibility
The Contractor and its subcontractors shall maintain all licenses, permits, and qualifications
required for assigned work. Tree work shall be directed by qualified personnel, and the
Contractor remains responsible for the work of any and all subcontractors. Contractor is
responsible for contacting property owners, securing access and written permission. Volunteers
may participate only under a City-approved plan and may not perform tree felling, chainsaw,
climbing, rigging, utility-line, traffic-control, or herbicide work unless qualified, licensed where
required, supervised, and properly covered.

Tree and Vegetation Treatment
Trees may be removed only when previously established in writing and approved of by the
Berkeley Fire Department. The Contractor shall record each removed tree's species, diameter,
location, and material disposition and shall protect retained vegetation, structures, utilities,
drainage features, and adjacent property. Wood, chips, slash, and invasive plant material shall be
handled as directed by the City. Combustible mulch shall not be placed against structures, over
drainage facilities, around root crowns, or where it increases erosion or fire risk. Disposal and
weight tickets shall be retained.
Safety and Fire Prevention
The Contractor shall comply with applicable Cal/OSHA requirements; conduct daily job
briefings; establish exclusion zones; provide required personal protective equipment; and
implement traffic, pedestrian, and utility controls. Each crew shall maintain appropriate fire
extinguishers and suppression tools, use required spark arresters, and manage fueling safely.
Spark-producing or other high-risk work shall stop during a Red Flag Warning or whenever
directed by the Berkeley Fire Department. The City may suspend work for fire weather, unsafe
conditions, rain, or saturated soils.
Reporting and Acceptance
In a consolidated quarterly report, the Contractor shall identify locations and dates worked; acres
and linear feet treated; trees removed by species and diameter; chip volumes, hauled weights,
and disposal locations; erosion controls; plantings and maintenance; approved herbicide use;
incidents; schedule status; and expenditures by authorized line item. Reports shall include
treatment maps or GIS data, dated before-and-after photographs, and disposal or weight tickets.
The City may verify quantities, inspect the work, require correction, and withhold payment for
work that is unauthorized, incomplete, nonconforming, or inadequately documented.
Environmental Compliance
Work shall comply with Exhibit A, permits, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
Work shall occur outside the nesting-bird avoidance period stated in Exhibit A whenever
feasible. If work during that period is authorized, a City-approved qualified biologist shall
conduct required surveys, establish buffers, and direct monitoring. The Contractor shall stop
work and notify the City upon discovery of an active nest, special-status species, cultural
resource, or other protected resource. No protected native, heritage, street, or landmark tree may
be removed or materially damaged without written City authorization. Herbicides may be used
only when specifically approved by the City and applied by appropriately licensed personnel in
accordance with the label and applicable law.
Ecological Restoration and Fire-Smart Landscape Management
Following vegetation removal, the Contractor shall implement the site-specific restoration
measures in the approved Task Order or restoration plan. Measures shall stabilize disturbed soils,
support native recovery, and reduce re-establishment of hazardous surface and ladder fuels
City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

without creating continuous flashy grass or shrub fuels. Substitutions require prior written City
approval.
1. Erosion Control and Soil Stabilization
The Contractor shall install and maintain erosion and sediment controls suited to the slope, soil,
weather, and disturbance. Measures may include certified weed-free wattles, coir logs, silt
fencing, biodegradable matting, approved mulch, and native seeding. Controls shall be inspected
after significant rain and repaired promptly. Plastic netting shall not be used. Mulch shall not
block drainage, bury root crowns, suppress desired native recruitment, or create a combustible
fuel bed.
2. Native Species Replanting and Habitat Enhancement
Revegetation shall follow a City-approved planting plan using native, regionally appropriate
species suited to site conditions and maintenance capacity. Species and layout shall limit dead
material and horizontal and vertical fuel continuity while supporting soil stability and habitat.
The Contractor shall provide required establishment watering and maintenance. Unless the Task
Order states otherwise, at least 80 percent of installed woody plants shall be alive and in
acceptable condition at 12 and 24 months; failures caused by improper installation or required
maintenance shall be replaced at no additional cost.
3. Invasive-Species Suppression and Maintenance
The Contractor shall monitor treatment areas for at least two growing seasons for resprouting and
recruitment of designated invasive or hazardous species, including Eucalyptus globulus, French
broom, Italian thistle, and Himalayan blackberry. Follow-up treatment shall occur before seed set
using the least-disruptive effective method. During this two year period, the contractor shall
monitor and mitigate the above conditions, monitor and mitigate erosions, and establish a Long-
Term Fuel-Resilient Design.
4. Long-Term Fuel-Resilient Design
Restoration shall support a durable, lower-maintenance fuel profile through appropriate perennial
vegetation, interruption of surface-to-canopy and canopy-to-canopy fuel continuity, and retention
of soil cover and moisture. Treatment shall avoid excessive thinning that promotes continuous
annual grass or broom recruitment. The City retains final approval of vegetation density, canopy
arrangement, and maintenance frequency.
DATE SENT TO VENDORS: 8/17/2026
Instructions to vendors:
On company letterhead, submit a signed, firm, lump sum proposal to accomplish the project
described in the quote, in an amount not to exceed $50,000.
For questions related to the project contact CArnold@berkeleyca.gov
City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

Proposals are due 08/27/2026 - 05:00 p.m. via email to CArnold@berkeleyca.gov cc:
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov
City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

City terms: Net 30
Do you offer an early payment discount? If yes, _________
Do you offer a discount for early payment using a credit card? If yes ______________%
Is your firm based in Berkeley? ________
Is your firm an MBE? ________
Is your firm a WBE? ________
See the City's Purchase Order Terms and Conditions
City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

Exhibit A
City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov

City of Berkeley, Finance Department, General Services Division
2180 Milvia Street, 3rd Floor
purchasing@berkeleyca.gov